Strong Enough
by minerva519
Summary: Her life is over, or so she thinks. Can Miroku give her a reason to go on? One-shot! SM


AN- In case you haven't read any of my other stuff, I like to incorporate a lot of music in my work. I feel music, even if you don't really know what the song is about, does a great job of setting a mood that most writers, including myself, would have to work extremely hard to achieve. I do not own the lyrics, nor do I own any of the characters.

Strong Enough

She had been gone since the end of the battle. A battle which had ended a saga in her life. She had dedicated her life to being a demon slayer. She had grown up a happy, balanced child.

In her village, she had been considered strong. However, in this outside world, she was an aberration. Women didn't do the things she did.

She was well beyond the proper marrying age, but she had made that choice. It was more important to Sango to avenge her family and save her brother. Much to her dismay, she was only able to do one of these things. The bastard had taken the only person left who really loved her.

Her friends cared about her a great deal, but not enough to stay with her.

She had no future and her past slipped right through her fingers.

But she could never betray her weakness to anyone. It would only come back to hurt her again. She didn't think she would be strong enough to handle that. She had to stay strong, or she knew she would lose the will to go on.

_God I feel like hell tonight_

_Tears of rage I cannot fight_

_I'd be the last to help you understand_

_Are you strong enough to be my man?_

She thought of Kagome going back to her time with Inuyasha. She truly was happy for them, but didn't she deserve that too. She had longed for someone who cared about her. She had even looked in on the young lord Kuronosuke. She felt horrible when she saw what had happened.

Naraku, knowing how the fool had cherished Sango, charred the compound beyond recognition. The only thing they could identify was something written. It was her name...written in blood. She was the reason all the people in his village, including the man whose only crime was falling in love with her, were now dead.

It was her fault. Would it always be like this? Would everyone she loved and even the ones she didn't love who cared for her die like this? Did she commit some unforgivable sin in her past life to deserve isolation?

She had failed them all. She was a warrior. Her mission in life was to protect the people she cared about. Where had it all gone wrong?

_Nothing's true and nothing's right_

_So let me be alone tonight_

_Cause you can't change the way I am_

_Are you strong enough to be my man?_

She knew her life was over. Now that her revenge was complete and her brother gone, she had no other purpose. For a long time she had hoped for a life with Miroku, but now she didn't think that was a possibility. She had seen the kind of girl he approached, and she wasn't that type.

For a long time, she was angry with him for making her feel cheap. But, eventually she grew a need for his false flattery. Even though she knew he would never really _want_ her and, even though she knew he groped any female with a pulse, it was nice to be reminded that someone thought of her as a woman.

She desperately needed that, even if the way he looked at her was fake. Her soul needed to indulge in the belief that someone still wanted her.

_Lie to me_

_I promise I'll believe_

_Lie to me_

_But please don't leave_

_I have a face I cannot show_

_I make the rules as I go_

_It's try and love me if you can_

_Are you strong enough to be my man?_

He watched her cry for everything she had lost. He wanted to be there to comfort her, but he thought her too proud to accept his presence in her moment of grief. She appeared so vulnerable, this strong, self-sufficient amazon. Why did he act like an ass toward her? Why couldn't he ever offer her what she needed?

She was too damn good at everything. She was too damn good for him. She was perfect. She was the type of woman men would kill to get a chance at. He knew that to even think he could be with her was foolish. He had tried getting his mind off of her with girls in the village, but each time she caught him. The look of contempt in her eyes had an agonizing effect on his heart. She didn't care about him in that way. If she had, she would trust him, confide in him.

For now, he would settle to watch from afar. After all, any relationship she could start with him would be a disgrace to her family and dishonor her self-respect.

_When I've shown that I just don't care_

_When I'm throwing punches in the air_

_When I'm broken done and I can't stand_

_Will you be strong enough to be my man?_

Just as he was leaving, he stepped on a twig.

"Whose there?!" How dare someone interrupt her mourning! Couldn't she just wallow in her loneliness? "Houshi? What are you doing here?"

There were times in battle when the fury in her eyes heated his blood. Now, however, the despondent gleam in her eyes moved his soul. Had it been in his power, he would have moved heaven and hell to remove that shameful sight. He would give anything to console the broken woman before him.

Even if that meant getting beaten with that damn boomerang.

He would try just that. He approached her and lowered his hands to her backside.

She gave no indication of noticing. That caused him more pain than the look in her eyes. "Sango, slap me." His voice commanding, even forceful.

"Why Miroku?" Her reply was soft and on the brink of tears.

"Because you deserve better."

"If I deserved better, I would have it. I have nothing. My family is gone, my friends will leave me, and my life is over."

"Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Because I love you and I can't bear it."

She chortled at his response. "You don't love me. How could you? How could anyone? I have nothing left, Miroku. I wish I had died with him." The far off look in her eyes petrified him.

He had always known what to say in any situation. Now, he was speechless. How could she say something like that?

Didn't she realize how beautiful, how perfect, how amazing she was?

He had to do it. He moved in and kissed her. He was not gentle. He was not apologetic. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again! Do you understand?! Has it not gotten through to you just how beautiful or strong or desirable you are?! Sango, if I thought for just one second that there wasn't someone out there for you that was better than me, I'd make you mine in a heartbeat. Don't you EVER question whether someone should want you or not."

"Miroku," It came out in a breathless whisper. She didn't believe him, but it didn't really matter. If joining with him could soothe her pain, if not for one night, it would be worth it. She drew closer and freed the hair gathered at the nape of his neck, running her fingers through it.

He shuddered at the sensations running through his body. Was she really doing this? She was now practically undressing him. He had to stop this.

But, somewhere in his noble intent to respect her (for once), he simply started to undress her instead. He didn't need the focus on him. It should be about her tonight.

"Sango, I love you. I want you to stay with me forever."

'No you don't, but I don't care anymore.'

_Lie to me_

_I promise I'll believe_

_Lie to me_

_But please don't leave_


End file.
